July 2023 Monthly Adventure
Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World, so it was only a matter of a time that I would take a tour of a local venue. What better venue than one of the top newest music venues in the world? The Moody Center at The University of Texas at Austin quickly began winning awards within its first year and was designed with live music performances as a focal point -- and Longhorn basketball.
Background
After getting tickets for the Janet Jackson concert, I suddenly found myself on a mailing list for the Moody Center. In an email I received some months ago, there was mention of summer Moody Center Venue Tours. These guided tours would be available at different times on select dates and would explain more about how the venue came to be and what makes it unique. A ticket must be purchased for the tour at $25 each, but, per the Moody Center tour booking website:
"Proceeds of every tour ticket will directly benefit Red River Rising, Moody Center’s community initiative that focuses on providing economic opportunity for local musicians and combating homelessness in Austin".
Knowing that my money would be going towards a cause that supports people that are critical to the fabric of this city, I didn't hesitate to purchase a ticket. They had a tour group at 5:00 PM on the day I decided to go, so I made my way over to the Moody Center after work to explore the venue!
The Moody Center
As Matthew McConaughey once said, "Bless the Mood"! This venue was absolutely incredible and unlike any other multipurpose event space that I've been in. Initially designed on a back of the napkin sketch by McConaughey himself, the Moody Center was made to wrap home court advantage and a world-class music venue all into one building. There are dozens of corporate sponsors that helped make a variety of lounges, outdoor spaces, bars, food and more come to life in the the space. The entire venue only has a capacity of 15,000. However, the thoughtful seating options to make the space feel larger or smaller depending on how the venue is being utilized makes it a very flexible 15,000 seats to work with.
The Tour
In our 75-minute tour, we started by learning about how the Moody Center came to be. Along the way, there were several fun facts to learn about as we walked the building. There's information about the decision to source sustainable materials, incorporating 10 large murals focused on artwork by local artists that scream "Austin, Texas", and the opportunity to check out lounges and suites that I may never be able to afford of step foot in otherwise. The Moody Center was designed with experience in mind no matter what type of ticket people may have, so there are several places in the hallways that are perfect for taking pictures if you're not living it up in a suite or lounge!
You and the the other people that are on your guided tour of the venue won't be the only ones in the building. There are staff there on a day-to-day basis working security, building maintenance, and preparing for the next event. This was only my second time touring a venue of any kind, so I was surprised to see how many people are there on a day with nothing going on. Like the staff, you'll want to wear comfortable shoes on this tour because all of the walking surfaces are concrete or tile.
My favorite part of the tour was the backstage area of the Moody Center! Due to security reasons, they don't let anyone take pictures here so I am going to describe it to you. But you can always check it out for yourself if you go on your own tour.There's some cool LED lighting hanging from the ceiling that can be customized based on what the performer wants while they are visiting. The Moody Center has another Austin-themed mural on the wall in the hallway and a customizable mural using vinyl that the venue makes for each performer on the opposite wall.
Along the same wall as the Austin-themed mural backstage, there's a timeline of events that have been hosted at the Moody Center since it opened in Spring 2022. That side of the hallway also features several dressing rooms, each with a different theme to reflect a classic venue in Austin. These dressing rooms are very flexible spaces and can be used for whatever the entertainers want for themselves and their crew while at the Moody Center. Additionally, each entertainer receives a custom gift from the venue. Janet Jackson received a purple rhinestone cowboy hat and Harry Styles got custom cowboy boots with the names of his songs in rhinestones on them. I didn't get a custom gift for simply touring the venue, but I did get to take some awesome pictures of spaces I may never see again!
Wrap-Up
The Moody Center Tours taking place this summer are part of a "pilot program" that will be ending in August. There are fewer events in the summer and this is a great time for the venue to test out tours and see if it's something people have an interest in. This is a short, relatively inexpensive activity that is also indoors, making it a perfect way to beat this historic Texas heat! With this being a pilot program, I recommend booking a tour for this summer if you're interested in going on one because there's no guarantee this will be offered again. Plus, you get recommendations about the best tickets to purchase for events which is arguably the greatest takeaway from touring the Moody Center!
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